PSC Bunker Boys at The Bowling Green
Monday, Jan. 16, Plutaluang W&N – Stableford
The Navy course is not one that the Bunker Boys visit very often, but due to the high season pricing policies of some of our regular courses, we decided to give it a another try.
Organisation is never a strong point here, and we arrived to find that there was a shortage of caddies, a problem which the management had solved by drafting in navy cadets, school children and gardeners – not exactly experts on course distances and putting lines! However, we did at least get off on time, and the round progressed smoothly for an hour, until the heavens opened and a torrential downpour hung over the course for 40 minutes.
Marion Melia gets a farewell hug from JJ.
Following the rain, the greens dried out remarkably quickly, but the fairways were heavily waterlogged for the remainder of the round. All of the above may be factors which contributed to the amazingly poor scores on the day, but rarely has it been known for so many players to return scores in the 20’s.
The course was in good condition and is very good value for money, but the general consensus after the round, was that we’ll not be rushing back in the near future.
A Flight
1st JJ Harney (12) 33pts
2nd Ken Ellmore (16) 29pts
3rd Geoff Parker (17) 28pts
B Flight
1st Mike Brett (18) 32pts
2nd Daryl Whyte (20) 26pts
3rd Mike Corner (20) 25pts
Near Pins: Ken Ellmore, Geoff Parker, Stuart Ferneaux and JJ Harney
Wednesday, Jan 18, Wangjungtr (Highlands) – Stableford
A rare visit by the Bunker Boys to the Wangjuntr Golf Park, arranged at the request of several members who had never played there before. Certainly it’s worth at least one visit for the spectacular scenery, and a layout which contains features which would never be found on a “real” golf course.
A field of over 30 players made the slightly longer trip than usual, to find that the management had drafted in caddies from Century Chonburi GC to accommodate this extra influx of players. This provided several sources of amusement as the caddies couldn’t find their way to the tees, and some were clearly terrified at driving the buggies up and down the steep mountain slopes.
With little or no help from the novice caddies most players suffered on the huge undulating greens, and at least two were seen picking up their ball after trying several times, unsuccessfully, to ascend the huge slopes on the 10th and 18th greens.
Once again we were interrupted by a heavy shower of rain, but most players enjoyed the day even though we ended up driving back to the Bowling Green in the dark.
Duncan Lee must have found one of the few good caddies to return to the clubhouse with a fantastic score of 41 points, and Mashi also had a good day returning 37 points to win the A flight.
A Flight
1st Mashi Kaneta (12) 37pts
2nd William Macey (15) 36pts
3rd Mike Grasser (10) 34pts
B Flight
1st Duncan Lee (17) 41pts
2nd Mike Corner (20) 36pts
3rd John Hughes (17) 34pts
Near Pins: Cyril Wallwork, Rab McDonald, Colin Greig and Paul Smith.
Friday, Jan. 20, Mountain Shadow – Stableford
We arrived at Mountain Shadow to find that we were late due to a mix up with our tee time, but we were still able to get away without delay. The course was in good condition, although showing signs of drying out in places, and the water levels in the lakes were much lower than expected at this time of year.
For the third game in a row we had a brief shower of rain during the round, but this time very light, and hardly worth bothering with an umbrella, although heavy thunder could be heard in the distance.
The round progressed smoothly and the leading groups were back in the clubhouse in comfortably less than 4 hours. The greens today were less pacey and treacherous than they sometimes can be, and this was reflected in the scores.
The A and B flights were both won with 37 points, and Marion Melia, playing her last round before returning to the U.K., managed to play to her handicap for the first time since arriving – well done Marion, and we look forward to seeing you again later in the year.
A Flight
1st Keichi Kasami (8) 37pts
2nd Cyril Wallwork (12) 35pts
3rd Paul Smith (2) 32pts
B Flight
1st Mike Brett (18) 37pts
2nd Marion Melia (23) 36pts
3rd Ken Ellmore (17) 29pts
Near Pins: Tom Jones, Bob Taylor, Colin Greig and Paul Smith
The Bunker Boys play out of the Bowling Green on Soi X-Zyte between Pattaya 3rd Road and Soi Buakhaow. We play three times per week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, so if you enjoy a fun day out, and a friendly but competitive golf competition why come and join us. We meet at the Bowling Green at 9 a.m. and new players with valid handicaps are always welcome. For more information call Dave on 087 146 9978, email dave. [email protected].